TO: It’s hard to repeat as champions in any sport, professional or not, and were it not for an incredible buzzer-beating 3-point shot by Ray Allen, I don’t think the Heat would have repeated last year. That being said, they’ve looked anything but vulnerable in the playoffs. The drubbing Miami put on the Pacers in Game 6 was just scary. However, I think San Antonio will be able to unseat the defending champs this year.

The Spurs have also looked dominant at times during the playoffs, especially at home. One of the biggest differences between this year’s series and last year’s, is San Antonio has homecourt advantage. The Finals format also helps the Spurs I think, because if they lose one of the first two games, they’re too good to drop three in a row in Miami. In 2014, Tim Duncan, a.k.a. Old Man Riverwalk, will add one more title.

RB: Conventional wisdom says they should. The Spurs have home-court advantage, which they didn’t have last year, and Kawhi Leonard is one year older and wiser, too. But asking him to stop LeBron James? C’mon son. LeBron is the greatest player in the world. Yes, even greater than Kevin Durant.

The Miami Heat lost one game on the road during the entire playoffs, so it’s not an automatic win for the Spurs just because they get to play at home. After all, when the Heat won the Finals in 2012 they won one game in Oklahoma City. Now I know Dwyane Wade is old, and Chris Bosh is inconsistent, but Bosh has at least one game every series where he steps up and becomes the player the Heat need him to be. I expect to see that at least once against the Spurs that will make a difference.

Will you be watching the Belmont Stakes Saturday?

TO: I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not all that into horse racing. Watching “Seabiscuit” and researching a possible story on the Mint Julep fad at the Kentucky Derby for a graduate school project basically sums up my horse racing education. Well, I may not be quite that ignorant of it. I do know that the last horse to win the Triple Crown was Affirmed in 1978, so that’s a start.

On that note, I will be watching the Belmont Stakes Saturday, because anytime there is a possibility of a rare sports feat happening — a possible once-in-a-lifetime moment — you can bet I’ll be paying attention. There have been 10 attempts to complete the Triple Crown in my lifetime, with not a one succeeding. Will Saturday finally be the day? I’m not going to miss it if it is.

RB: Why not? I think I can spare a minute and a half of my life to watch horses circle around a dirt track. And with California Chrome potentially winning the Triple Crown it’s hard not to pay attention. A horse hasn’t snagged the Triple Crown since 1978, so the novelty to watch the Belmont Stakes this weekend is certainly there.

However, don’t ask me to watch the eight hours of pre-race coverage. No event, not even the Super Bowl, deserves the amount of lead up that horse races receive. Did you know NBC Sports Network has dubbed this week as “Belmont Week?” Still, I’ll watch the race just to see if California Chrome can make history.

If you could be involved in one sports related event, what would you choose?

TO: Despite the fact that I recently sent in a letter to the Super Bowl board to be entered into a drawing for the opportunity to buy two tickets to the 2015 game in Phoenix at face value, that would not be my top sporting event. In fact, even though football is my favorite sport and there are many, many various bowl games and other events I would love to be a part of, not a one of them tops my list.

Given the opportunity to choose any sports related event, I would pick the opportunity to play 18 holes at Augusta National. I wouldn’t want to necessarily play in the Masters itself, I would get creamed, but it would be amazing to talk my bag out by myself and play 18 holes on what I consider to be the greatest golf course in the world.

RB: Along with my other goals of playing a corpse in a TV crime drama and visiting all 50 states, I’ve always wanted to sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” at Wrigley Field. I’ve been to seven Cubs games at Wrigley in my life, and it’s awesome to see the different celebrities they get to sing during the seventh-inning stretch. Vince Vaughn sang the seventh-inning stretch at two of the games I went to.

How cool would it be to be the Cubs backup seventh-inning stretch guy in case someone fell through? That’s pretty much what it feels like with Vince Vaughn.

The Cubs: “Vince, we lost One Direction to sing the seventh-inning stretch.”

Vince: “I’ll be there in an hour.”

I love Wrigley Field, I love the Cubs, and I would love to lead the seventh-inning stretch just once. Maybe one day I’ll be famous enough.

About the writers

Timothy R. Olsen is the sports and digital editor for The Spectrum & Daily News. He is a graduate of USU and Syracuse University, and is an avid fan of both the Aggies and the Orange. Despite their consistent mediocrity, he is also a fan of the Dallas Cowboys. Reach him at tolsen@thespectrum.com or on Twitter, @TheRealTO.

Richard Briggs is a sports reporter for The Spectrum & Daily News. He is a graduate of Dixie State University and covered sports in Tooele and New Mexico before making his way back to the Promised Land of St. George. He is a fan of the Carolina Panthers, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Lakers. Reach him at rbriggs@thespectrum.com or on Twitter, @BriggsRich.